A court has been informed that a woman who tragically took her own life confided in a friend about suffering abuse from her husband. Christopher Trybus, residing in Swindon, Wiltshire, is facing charges of manslaughter in connection with the death of Tarryn Baird, who passed away by suicide at 34 years old in November 2017. Additionally, the 43-year-old is accused of controlling and coercive behavior, along with two counts of rape alleged to have occurred in October and November 2016 at Winchester Crown Court.
The charge of coercive control suggests that Trybus exerted control over Ms. Baird through violence, sexual assault, monitoring her movements, restricting her access to finances, threatening to disclose private information to her family, and isolating her from relatives.
During the trial, Elizabeth Clarke, also known as Libby, testified that she and Ms. Baird initially bonded over their husbands’ workaholic tendencies while working together at an optical firm in Swindon. Mrs. Clarke revealed that they remained friends even after Ms. Baird left the company.
Text messages between the two women were presented in court, with Ms. Baird disclosing instances of abuse by her husband starting from January 2017. She detailed how Trybus had displayed a violent side and had physically harmed her. Ms. Baird expressed feeling overwhelmed and stated that Trybus had previously attacked her, resulting in multiple hospital visits.
In subsequent messages, Ms. Baird mentioned canceling a meeting due to feeling sore from an incident earlier that week, including a doctor confirming she had suffered a concussion. She also asked her friend to provide an alibi, revealing that Trybus had tracked her to the hospital.
Mrs. Clarke testified about seeing bruises on Ms. Baird’s body and images of bruises on her phone. She confirmed meeting Ms. Baird regularly in 2017, emphasizing their increased communication due to the challenges Ms. Baird was facing. Mrs. Clarke acknowledged a conversation about Ms. Baird’s alcohol consumption, attributing it to numbing the pain caused by Trybus’s abuse.
The prosecution alleged that Trybus engaged in controlling and manipulative behavior, including sexual violence, leading up to Ms. Baird’s death. They argued that Trybus, despite his frequent international travels for work, bears legal responsibility for the tragic outcome. Trybus and Ms. Baird, both originally from South Africa, relocated to the UK in 2007 and got married in 2009. Trybus denies all charges, and the trial is ongoing.
